Jeb Hensarling

Jeb Hensarling
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 2003
Preceded by	Pete Sessions
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Melissa Hensarling
Residence	Dallas, Texas
Alma mater	Texas A&M University, University of Texas
Occupation	attorney

Jeb Hensarling (born May 29, 1957) has been the Republican congressman representing Texas' 5th congressional district (map) in the United States House of Representatives since 2003.

Early life

Hensarling was born in Stephenville, Texas, and grew up on the family farm in College Station. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 1982, he earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He is also an Eagle Scout.

File:Jeb hensaling photo.jpg

Jeb Hensarling (center) being sworn in by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (left).

Political career

Prior to serving in Congress, Hensarling was State Director for Texas Senator Phil Gramm from 1985 until 1989. From 1991 to 1993, he served as executive director of the Republican Senatorial Committee.

Hensarling next served as a vice president at two different companies before becoming owner of San Jacinto Ventures in 1996 and CEO of Family Support Assurance Corporation in 2001. He served as vice president of Green Mountain Energy from 1999 to 2001.

Hensarling was elected to his first term in 2002, defeating Democratic opponent Ron Chapman with 58 percent of the vote. He was reelected in 2004 with 64 percent of the vote over Democratic challenger Bill Bernstein.

A December 31, 2005 article in National Review profiled his work as the country's "budget nanny", saying that he has replaced his mentor, former Senator Phil Gramm, in this role. Hensarling's proposed legislation is said to intend to force Congress to "decide how much money they can afford to spend, and then prioritize within those limits." The article says that "the chief problem with any proposal to reform the budget process is that it excites almost nobody."

Hensarling was elected chairman of the Republican Study Committee following the 2006 Congressional elections, defeating Todd Tiahrt.

Committee assignments

• Committee on the Budget (Vice Ranking Member)
• Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit (Ranking Member)

Voting record

Hensarling has maintained a conservative voting record: he has consistently voted against abortion rights, stem cell research, same-sex marriage and hate crimes legislation, and consistently supported free trade policies, the PATRIOT Act, and a Constitutional amendment against flag burning.

Hensarling serves on the House Committee on the Budget and the House Committee on Financial Services, in which position the Dallas Morning News has described him as a “rising congressional star” and a “man of conviction” , and the New York Times has described him as a “conservative leader.” According to the National Taxpayer Union, Hensarling scored the highest pro-taxpayer rating in the Texas delegation, and the second highest in the entire U.S. House of Representatives.

Hensarling co-authored a Constitutional amendment (known as the Spending Limit Amendment) that would prohibit federal spending from growing faster than the economy.

Hensarling has continually pushed Congress to enact a one-year moratorium on all Congressional earmarks, saying that the process needs to be overhauled. In 2007, he introduced the Taxpayer Bill of Rights. He also co-authored the Taxpayer Choice Act.

2008

In January 2008, Hensarling co-authored the Economic Growth Act of 2008.

In May 2008, Hensarling pressed the Republican party leadership in the House to agree to a special session to give lawmakers to air their views on a new policy platform and share ideas on how to define themselves to better advantage going into the 2008 election.

2010

In January 2010, during a Republican Q&A with President Barack Obama, Congressman Jeb Hensarling launched a lecture on the budget, including the claim that the Obama Administration was now running monthly deficits the size of annual Republican deficits in the past. The President flashed anger in response - he interrupted Hensarling and said, "I'm sure there's a question in there somewhere."

Financial Bailout

In September 2008, Hensarling led House Republican efforts to oppose Secretary Henry Paulson and Chairman Ben Bernanke's $700 billion financial bailout, and urged caution before Congress rushed to approve the plan. After voting against the bill, Hensarling said,

no one truly knows if this plan will work – though we all hope that it does. No one knows the true amount of taxpayer exposure. Treasury could spend $700 billion in no time flat and come right back to Congress for $700 billion more. Some believe the taxpayer will actually make money in the deal and I hope that proves true. But history as a guide, I have strong fears it will not. At what point do we finally bailout the American taxpayer from the unconscionable burden he or she faces from out of control Washington spending? I fear that the legislation passed by Congress remains more of a bailout than a work out. I fear it undermines the ethic of personal responsibility. I fear that it rewards bad behavior and punishes good. But my greatest fear is that it changes the role of the federal government in our free market economy, which despite its current problems, remains the envy of the world. How can we have capitalism on the way up and socialism on the way down? If we lose our ability to fail will we not in turn lose our ability to succeed? If Congress bails out some firms and sectors, how can it say no to others? We must always be very careful to ensure that any remedy does allow short-term gain to come at the cost of even greater long-term pain – that being the slippery slope to socialism. The thought of my children growing up in America with less freedom and less opportunity is a long-term pain I cannot bear.

On November 19, 2008 Hensarling was appointed by United States House of Representatives Minority Leader John Boehner to serve on the five-member Congressional Oversight Panel created to oversee the implementation of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act. He was the lone dissenting member on the "Accountability for the Troubled Asset Relief Program" report issued by the panel on January 9, 2009.

When Senator John McCain published his list of "The Top 10 Porkiest Projects" in the Omnibus Spending Bill on Twitter in February 2009, Number Three on the list was an earmark of $332,000 for the design and construction of a school sidewalk in Franklin, Texas, which is in Hensarling's district.

House Leadership

Jeb Hensarling has been mentioned as a possible candidate for House GOP leadership, and sought to run for Republican Conference Chairman, the number three position in House Republican Leadership. According to news reports, despite having more than enough support from his colleagues to win, Hensarling stepped aside and endorsed former Republican Study Committee Chairman Mike Pence, a longtime friend and ally. Hensarling noted that "House Republicans have no better communicator or Member with communications expertise than Mike Pence."

Senate

Hensarling has also been mentioned as a top contender to replace outgoing Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison by the Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Associated Press, and Fox News.

External links

• U.S. Representative Jeb Hensarling Lee official House site
• United States Congress. "Jeb Hensarling (id: h001036)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Federal Election Commission — Mr. Jeb Hensarling campaign finance reports and data
• OpenSecrets.org — Jeb Hensarling campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Jeb Hensarling (TX) profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Jeb Hensarling voting record
• Jeb Hensarling for U.S. Congress official campaign site
• Election Information — U.S. House Office of the Clerk